greg willis

I am a middle aged man. Which means I'm -- at best -- halfway between having been born and going to die. Which is another way of saying that in 43 years I'll be dead -- it's just a matter of how long I will have been dead for.

As these epiphanies sink in, I start to think about 2050 and how best to reduce those number of years I will have been dead for.

So the doctor says cholesterol, while not high, is high enough to watch. Shoot. And I had just settled into a morning routine of an hard-boiled egg. So what's for breakfast?

Yes, granola.

But I'm picky. The store-bought granola has a fat content I don't control and stuff other than oatmeal. Non-mushy oatmeal, that's what I want. And I'm picky enough to just do it myself. In my defense, it's actually pretty easy to do.

Recipe (and no more mortality references) below the fold.

Here's an SAT analogy for you:

Covers : Dmitri :: Work : Greg

Yeah, I've been a bit busy lately. Good for the bank account, not so good for blogging or home improving. But with Spring almost here, maybe I'll feel inspired to peek my head out a bit more.

In the days of my youth, there was nothing better than breaking up with a girlfriend and immediately falling for another. The sudden rush of freedom, the exotic taste of novelty. The whole world seemed to blossom with renewed possibilities.

But at some point I think the energy required for that romantic experience switched to the downside of the cost-benefit equation. But I still love that feeling. Now firmly in middle-age, how do I get that rush?

By changing broadband and cable companies, my friend.

I suppose you can say that I've bought into this digital music thing. I spent a good amount of time at the late 90s Napster trough. I've had a couple of iPods over the last 4 years. I've ripped and sold all my CDs. And I've legally purchased many albums through iTunes. So all is well.

Well, maybe all is not so well. My daughter Zoe has a new mobile phone. It's a Sony Ericsson phone that plays music. She has the simple desire to play the music that she has purchased through iTunes on her phone. And that's the problem.

Mrs. Phelps, my 10th grade English teacher, said on more than one occasion, "Never write anything down that you wouldn't want to see published on the front page of the New York Times." She was old in 1978. What turn of events in her life lead her to this prescient rule I'll never know. But what I do know is it makes a lot of sense today.

*Thursday, 16Jun05, 8:42 am, somewhere on the 38B route:*

This was our first time traveling in developing countries. And let me tell you, that'll set you thinking. A journey to a poor country will change you. It'll make you think of social justice, the fairness of life, and the definition of poverty -- and not just a little. I spend days turning it over in my head.

I'm full aware of the unfairness of life. Even in the US there are uncomfortable inequalities for those who have eyes to see them. I console myself by observing that my place is about in the middle -- folks ahead, folks behind. I'm not sure why that consoles me, it just does.

The hour and a half drive home yesterday through the early night and rain reminded me why Washington sucks. Too many people driving too far from home to work too much.

As if adjusting to being back in the US wasn't bad enough, I went and got myself a commute. I'm contracting with Nextel. And even though today's my second day, I already miss that hour of my life that I now spend sitting in my car. I guess I can catch up with my Christmas music listening.

Ah, election day. We'll just stay silent on this one.

New stuff -- check out "recent photos of Zoe":http://www.greg-willis.com/gallery/ZoeFall04 in the gallery.

Starting the next set of cabinets, pics to follow.

The cats are one year old today. We were going to throw them a big party, but they insisted on keeping any celebrations on an intimate scale. I suggested extra treats, which they seemed very lip-smacky over. In case you haven't been able to drop by the house, here's how they look: